Africa-Press – Tanzania. DEFENDING champions Young Africans extended their iron grip on the league with a ruthless 5-0 demolition of JKT Tanzania at the KMC Complex in Dar es Salaam, underlining once again why they remain the benchmark of Tanzanian football.
The emphatic victory takes Yanga to 28 points from 10 matches, still unbeaten and having dropped points only once in a solitary draw. It is the form of champions, relentless, assured and increasingly ominous for the chasing pack.
The contest began at a measured tempo, both sides probing cautiously as though engaged in a tactical chess match.
An early foul on Muhamed Bakari by Israh Mwenda just outside the box hinted at Yanga’s attacking intent.
Moments later, Aurelio Depu tested Ramadhani Chalamanda with a sharp effort from the right side of the penalty area, but the JKT goalkeeper reacted smartly, narrowing the angle and blocking with his knee. The breakthrough arrived in the seventh minute.
Prince Dube, linking neatly with Depu, slipped a penetrative pass into the path of Mohamed Hussein.
The defender burst through the heart of JKT’s backline and calmly drilled a low effort beyond Chalamanda’s despairing dive to make it 1-0. JKT, often retreating deep and leaving only one or two men forward, struggled to gain attacking momentum.
Their preference for long balls played into Yanga’s hands, as the hosts’ defenders calmly mopped up possession.
By contrast, Yanga dictated proceedings with crisp, short passing and clever movement through midfield. Just before the interval, Sospeter Bajana rattled the woodwork with a fierce strike from a tight angle, forcing Djigui Diarra into a fingertip save.
At the break, Yanga held a slender but deserved 1-0 lead. The second half, however, was a different story.
Depu doubled the advantage on 69 minutes with a commanding header, before Mudathir Yahya capitalised on a rebound to add a third soon after.
Prince Dube then got the goal, his performance deserved, finishing clinically from Buba Jammeh’s incisive assist in the 84th minute.
There was still time for Sheikhan Khamis to apply the gloss, unleashing a thunderous strike from outside the box in the 89th minute to seal a five-star display. Yanga march on, unbeaten, unbothered and utterly dominant.
